Paper or similar clamp



July 2, 1929. R. A. BREITENBACH PAPER OR SIMILAR CLAMP Filed April 2, 1927 INVENTOR d Z y/{Zreu adac/L- ATTORNEYS Patented July 2, 1929.

y, uni-Taniiq sra'rrs PATENT orrice;

ROY A; BREI'IENBACH', or ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORrLTdTHELINE-AJIIME Mrs. co. mayor ROCHESTER; NEW YORK, n-conronn'rron oF'N w.

i rnrnn on SIMILAR cram;

I i-ljlpplieation filed April 2,

My present invention relates to paper clips and clamps of the nature in; which a sheet of paper or similar objects are h'eld' by spring action between jaws, or bya movable jaw ,5 working against a 'supp'orti'ng surface, and the invention has'vfor its object to provide a si1nple,inexpens ive and ellicient clamp or clip of this character and one/which will offer certain improvements and advantages in the "1 matterof assembling the parts. The improvements are directed in part to producing an arrangement whereby the, elements are held together by a single operating spring and vcan be assembled, or" disas'sociated with '5 ease when the tension of this spring is released.. 1 v a z r i To these and" other ends the invention resides in certain, ilnpro -enients and combination of parts, all of which will he hereinafter :0 more fully described, the novel fe'atures being pointedvout in the'claims at the "end of the specification,

In the drawings: j y a .Figure ..1.' is'jfa front elevation of a paper clamp constructed in accordance with andillustrating one embodiment ofmy invention; 7 v. Figure 2is an; enlarged rear elevation thereof partly broken away; v- Figure '3 is an end View;

- Figure; is .a; section takenon the line of Figure 2 with vthe clamping .j aw closed; Figure .5 is asimilar, view showing the clamping jawopen;

Figure 6 is a. simllarvlew with the moving parts removed to show theconstruction of the s'ugporting. bearing; v y z igure 7- 's an enlargedperspective view of thespring attaching lever;- v 1 I .Figure 8 is" a further enlarged perspective 140 view of afragment of the pivot bearingportionof the movable jaw and v Figure 9 is an enlargedfragmentary sectional view showing themanner in which the spring lug and bearingportion are associated.

- Similar reference numerals throughout the several viewsindicate the same parts. I

a I have illustrated and will describe my improved clampas applied to the copy-plate of a copyholding machine,such as is used for holding loose sheets and note books in transcribing on atypewriter. In Figurel the top portion of-the-copy plate of a familiar commercial form of such a device is shown at '1. This copy-plate is raised and lowered -by suitable devices on a guide frame indicated generally containedli lechanism.

Iround wire bail clamp 13'that'thence proceeds 1921?. Serial at. 180,462.

in dotted lines at 2, but as this forms no part of the present invention, it need not be more extensively referred to.

Secured to the back of the copy-plate l at thetop is a transverse reinforcing and mounting plate 3, the ends of which project beyond the side edges of the copy-plate as indicated at 4 in Figure 1. The extreme end "edge of I this reinforcing plate is indicated at 5; i'n igure 1. Spot welded or otherwise suitably secared to the projecting ends ofthe reinforcing plate area pair ofverti'c'ally rising small plates 6 which have rearwardly turned side flanges 7 and 8 and a rearwardly and down: .wardly turnedtop flange 9 a1l of whicli'together form a partial housing for the mechanism hereinafterfdescribed, principally for the purpose ofpreventing the fingers of'th'e operator from coming in contact withthe Turning in this bearingis a pivot portion'lQ constituted by. the inwardly" turned end of a downwardly at 14 and horizontally across the face of the support or copy-plate, against which latter it. is normally held by spring pressure in theimanner hereinafter described! The bearing portion of this clamp is inserted in the open bearing ll'by movement in two' directions through the slot 10. The clamp has rubber sleeves I 15 which =frictiona lly "engage the paper sheets to retain them against thesupporting plate, and. the portion 14 of, the clamp with its adjoining angular connections constitutes a hand hold formanipulating the clip between the open p osition of Figure 5, and the closed positionof the other figures. 'The coil spring shown at 16 extending across thetop edge of the copy-plate bc-- tween the clamp Eortions 14 is for the vpurposeof holding acktheturned leaves or sheets. I v The pivot portion 12projects only. par-1 tially within the housing. This projecting portionis provided on opposite sides with transverse flat channels 17 producing the noncircular cross section shown in Figure 9.. A preferably sheet metal lug 18 is slotted at 19 to slip detachably over the channeled porhas an extended stop portion 20 that cooperates with the support or housing plate 6 to 'limit the opening movement and define the wide open position'of the clamp 13 as shown in Figure 5. The lug is .also provided with a suitable lateral ear 21 projecting beyond the end ofthe pivot portion 12, and forming a means for theattachment of one end of an extensiblecoil spring 22, the other or lower end of which is hooked, with the spring under tension, on to a fixed spur 23 at the lower edge of the housing plate 6, 4 l

It will be seen from an inspection of Figure 4 that when the clamp 13 is'in the closed position of thatfigure,theearor spring attaching point 21 is forwardly of the axis 12 and tion of the pivot 12 to turn therewith. It 1 able laterally therefrom, and a spring detachisin an intermediate or horizontal.

ably connected to the support and to the clamp at a point which passes across the dead center between the connection of the spring with the support and the hearing as the clamp moves between open and closed positions, the spring operating to hold the clamp in at either side of said dead center,

and-to retain said clamp initsbearing.

hence, through the lug thespring holdsthe clamp down-against the copy-platewith pressure. When the clamp is opened to the position of Figure 5, the ear 21 or spring attach-- ing point passes across the dead center line defined by the axis and the fixed springattaching point 23, so'thatthesprin'g'also holds 1 the clampvopen with thestop 20 of the lug abuttingthe plate. y The pivot portion 12 of the clamp is inserted in the bearing 11 or removed therefrom easilyby a forward or rearward movement through the angular slot 10.; When positioned in the bearing, the tension of the spring 22 operates at all times to so maintain it, as will be seen from an inspection of Figures 4 and'5. Not only this but the tension of the spring also holds the detachable lug 18 on the pivot portion 12, particularly in the open position of Figure 5. In the closed position the lug is prevented from-disengaging additionally by the plate 6 in close prox- 2. The combination'with a support having an angularly opening bearing, of a clamp having a pivot portion turning '-in the hear-- ing and detachable therefrom'by movement in two directions,and a spring connected dctachably to the support and to the clamp at a point'which passes across the dead center between the point of connection of the spring to the support and the hearing, as the clamp moves between open and closed positions, the

spring operating to hold the clamp in its bearing at all times.

3. The combination with a support having an openbearing, of a clamp having a pivot portion turning in 'thebearing, a detachable lug locked for turning movement on the pivot portion, and a springconnected to the lug an to said support to operate the clamp, said spring acting to retain the lug on the pivot imlty to which a suitably curved portion 24 of the lug turns. j

In addition to other structuraliand functional advantages that accrue from the form and disposition of the lug'1 8, it is of particular assistance in assembling the device.

There is more than one way of assembling, but the easiest way is to attach the upperv end of the spring to the lug, slip the-lug on the bearingportion,'and then slide the latter into'its bearing through the slot 10 while the clamp has a proximately the position of Figure 4 relativelv to the plate. That is, with the swinging movement about the approximate center 13. All that then remains to be done is to attach the other or fixed end of the spring at 23. 'Or else the clamp may be slipped into its bearings alone, and the lug 18, with the spring attached, then passed up under the housing and down into locking enportion and the pivot portion in the bearing. 4. The combination with a support having an 0 en bearing, of a clamp having a pivot portion turning in the bearing, a detachable lug locked for turning movement on the pivot portion, and a spring connected adjacent one end to the lug at a point which passes across the dead center-as the clamp moves between open and closed positions'and connected to 1 the support adjacent its other end, said spring acting toretain the lugon the pivot portion and thepivotportion mthe bearing.

5. The combinationwith a support having an 0 en bearing, of a clam having a pivot portion turning in the bearing, a detachable lug locked for turning movement on the pivot portion, and a spring attached adjacent one end to the lug at a point which passes across the dead center as theclamp moves between open and closed positions and attached to said support adjacent its other end, said spring acting to retainthe pivot. portion in the bearing and the lug on the pivot portion in one position of the clamp, and the lug being .prevented from disengagement with the pivot portion by the support in anot er position of the clamp.

6. The combination with a support having an open bearing, of a clamp having a pivot portion turmng 1n the bearing, a detachable lug locked tor turning movement on the pivot portion, and a spring attached adjacent one end to the lug at a point which passes across the dead center as the clamp moves between open and closed positions and attached to said support adjacent its other end, said spring acting to retain the pivot portion in the bearing and the lug on the pivot portion in one position of the clamp, and the lug being prevented -from disengagement with the pivot portion by the support in another position of the clamp, said lug being provided with a stop cooperating with the support to limit the open position of the clamp.

7. The combination with a support having an open bearing, of a clamp having a pivot portion turning in the bearing, a detachable lug locked for turning movement on the pivot portion, and a spring attached to the lug and to said support to operate the clamp, said spring acting to retain the lug on the pivot portion and the pivot portion in the bearing when the clamp is open and the lug being prevented from disengagement with the pivot portion by cooperation with. the support when the clamp is closed.

8. The combination with a support having an open bearing, of a clamp having a pivot portion turning in the bearing, a detachable CERTIFICATE OF Patent No. 1,719, 422.

lug locked for turning movement on the pivot portion, and a spring attached to the lug and to said support to operate the clamp, said spring acting to retain the lug on the pivot portion and the pivot portion in the bearing, and a stop on the lug cooperating with the support to limit the open position of the clamp.

9. The combination with a copy-plate having rearwardly turned flanges provided with angular slots constituting open bearings, of a paper clamp having pivot portions turning in the bearings and removable laterally therefrom and having transverse channels therein, slotted lugshaving a slip connection with the channels locking them for rotation with the bearing portions, said lugs being prevented from disengagement by the copyplate when the clamp is closed down against the latter and being provided with stops engaging the copy-plate to limit the open position of the clamp, and springs attached to the copy-plate and attached to the lugs at points passing across the dead center when the clamp is moved between open and closed positions, said springs operating to hold the clamp in either position and in its bearings and to hold the lugs on the bearing portions when the clamp is open.

ROY A. BREITENBACH.

CORRECTION.

Granted July 2, 1929, to

ROY A. BREITENBACH.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 82, claim 1, after the word "in" insert the word "position"; same page, line 88, claim 2,

strike out the word "connected and insert same after the syllable "tachably': in line 89, of same claim; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 30th day of July, A. D. 1929.

(Seal) M. J. Moore, Acting Commissioner of Patents.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,719,422. Granted Jul 2, 1929, to

ROY A. BREITENBAGH.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 82, claim 1, after the word "in" insert the word "position"; same page, line 88 claim 2, strike out the Word "connected" and insert same after the syllable "tachably" in line 89, of same claim; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 30th day of July, A. D. 1929.

M. J. Moore, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

